Gooey Butter Cake

Three words: Gooey, Butter and Cake.

So you are paying attention now, right? Cause yeah, it's as rich and amazing as it sounds. I have a few friends from what they call, "The Lou" (St. Louis) and this is a classic dessert from that region. One of my best girls Emily gave me a killer awesome Christmas present a few years back, in the form of a binder full of her family's favorite recipes. So she and her mom get all the accolades that this cake deserves. There are quite a few recipes out there for this dish, but I can't imagine anything being more gooey, more buttery and more ridiculously awesome than this particular cake. So, go make this happen in your life, too—it's just necessary. Trust me and the Hintze family.

Crust:
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup butter

Filling:
1 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup flour
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar

To make the crust, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling. Pat into the bottom and sides of a greased 9x9 pan. To make the filling, beat sugar and butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg. Then add flour and evaporated milk alternately, mixing after each addition. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until well blended. Pour batter on the top of crust. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the cake is nearly set. Do not overcook. Serve after cooled in pan till room temperature (after more powdered sugar is sprinkled on top for garnish). 

streusel coffee cake

When I was in New York last year, I finally got to try the Clinton Street Baking Company for breakfast. I wanted to eat every single item on the menu. My Mom has had the cookbook for a while, so I knew I needed to go to the real thing while I was there. It was a crazy wait, but like all good things—worth it. My parents gave me the cookbook this year for my birthday and I couldn't have been more pleased. I am so excited to make everything from this book! I found this recipe for Buttermilk Streusel Coffee Cake and I knew I had to make it. I didn't have buttermilk, which was a problem, but I did have greek yogurt and some left over half and half from another recipe and decided to take the gamble and substitute this concoction for buttermilk. The gamble paid off, everyone loved the cake, and now I have a new favorite in the arsenal of breakfast coffee cakes.

Streusel Coffee Cake, adapted from Clinton Street Baking Company

Streusel Topping

3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup graham-cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Cake

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups greek yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup half and half or milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 300°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt or tube pan. Mix all the Streusel Topping ingredients together in a mixing bowl and set aside.

For the cake, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, two at a time, mixing until well blended. Mix in the greek yogurt mixture and vanilla extract. Sift together and sir in the remaining dry ingredients. (Mixture will be very thick, almost like cookie batter)

Fill the pan halfway with the batter. Sprinkle with two-thirds of the Streusel Topping. Add the rest of the batter. Top with remaining on-third streusel.

Bake for 60-70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. (My bundt pan may have been a little small, cause some of the batter spilled over while baking, so make sure you have the right size pan and put foil on the bottom of your oven, just in case.)

Cool. To unmold, place a plate firmly on top of the pan and flip, being carful to preserve the streusel.

apple streusel coffee cake

(pic via Instagram)

I really super hate grocery shopping, so I seem to always run into the problem of, "I want to bake something, but I am out of ingredients x, y, and z, but dangit, I really want to bake something!" So, when I'm looking for a treat to concoct, I tend to look for recipes where I can easily swap ingredients— or that call for items that I already have on-hand. Recently, I was gifted a few cookbooks (lucky me!) and one of these wonderful new books is a breakfast cookbook called, The Perfect Start To Your Day. My friend who gave this to me knows me very well. My friends can attest that I think breakfast is pretty much the best. Always n' forever. Me + breakfast = true love, etc. So, this cookbook led me to this recipe for Apple Streusel Coffee Cake. I easily adapted the recipe to fit my pantry-deficit needs and here you have it! Awesome breakfast cake in no time! It's a win for us all.

Apple Streusel Coffee Cake, adapted from The Perfect Start To Your Day

10 tablespoons softened butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 beaten eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup almond meal
1/2 cup greek yogurt
2 golden delicious apples, thinly sliced

topping:
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons softened butter
1 tablespoon water
2/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°, grease and line 8" round pound with parchment paper.

Cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and almond meal in a small bowl. Add to butter mixture. Stir in greek yogurt until incorporated. Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the sliced apples on top. Spoon remaining batter on top. 

To make the topping, combing the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl and incorporate the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Add the water and pecans and break into lumps. Sprinkle over the cake evenly. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

re-post: peanut butter banana chocolate chip cake

Since I posted about this cake, the last time, I've made a few changes—thanks to my sisters. They made it a bunch, but thought it would work better in a 9x13 pan, and doubling the topping. This is still one of my all-time favorites, and with the new adjustments, it's a dream come true. Such great flavors and textures, all working together to make my tastebuds so, so happy. So, do yours a favor and make this. Make it now.

For the cake:
4 very ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 cups chocolate chips

For the topping:
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Grease a 9x13 square pan. In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork or potato masher. Add the eggs and vanilla, and stir well to combine. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon—then add to the banana mixture. Add the peanut butter and when that is combined, add the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and granulated sugar. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the pan, then sprinkle brown sugar over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

apple coffee cake with crumble topping and brown sugar glaze

 (photo from my instagram)

Recently, I had an influx of apples, thanks to an awesome neighbor, and I was looking for yummy ways to use them up. I was talking to my sister-in-law (2.0) and she suggested a cake that my oldest sis likes to make. So, like the homegirl she is, she emailed me this recipe so I could try it. Well, I sure am glad I did. It's definitely not low in sugar, but it's high in awesome. It's a great holiday party cake, so bring this with your ugly Christmas sweater to your next party!

Apple Coffee Cake with Crumble Topping and Brown Sugar Glaze

Cake: 
1 stick plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples
 
Crumble Topping:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
 
Brown Sugar Glaze:
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter. 

In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl or on a piece of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.

To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and water and mix until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden slightly.

family foods

I was just in Southern California to see family for a last minute, much needed getaway. I really wanted to hang out with this girl (and the rest of my family, too).

I'm sure it goes without saying, that when I'm around my family, the food is always in delicious abundance. Here are a few things we ate/made.

 

My sister made homemade chicken noodle soup (homemade noodles, too!), and My sister-in-law made this amazing sourdough artisan bread, which she's been working on perfecting for a bit. I'd say she hit the mark. My goodness, it was fantastic! I will see if she'll do a guest post and give us all her secrets.

 

Sis-in-law, will heretofore be known as 2.0 (that's my nickname as her, seeing as how we have the exact same name, but she's more awesome than me, hence the v.2.0). Anywho, 2.0 made some awesome sourdough pancakes and put shredded apples in them. They were a delight.

 Here is a photo of the start. I'll share the sourdough recipe at the end of the post. You're welcome. (You'll need a sourdough starter to make this)

And one of my favorites, and 2.0's as well, Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Cake.

Now for the Sourdough Pancakes recipe:

1 egg

2 T. oil

¼ c. milk

1 t. salt

1 t. baking soda

2 T. sugar

Add 2 cups warm water and 2 ½ cup flour to 1 cup start. Mix together and let sit overnight. In morning, put one cup in with starter again, leaving you with 4 ½ cup batter. Add any fruit or other lil' nuggets you like to the pancakes. For shredded apples, you add it to the whole batter, if you add chocolate chips or blueberries, add them to freshly poured batter. Griddle or pan should be at medium heat, flip when doughy side bubbles. When pancakes are cooked as golden as you like, EAT THEM UP.

              

***For Sourdough Waffles, add 2 more tablespoons of oil.

Oatmeal Cake with Pears

It's comfort food season, and pear season—which, in my opinion—go hand in hand. I had some pears that I wanted to use up and I was trying to think of the best way to do so. I remembered my sister-in-law's (and her mom's) famous and amazing Oatmeal Cake. They have always done it in a bundt pan, but I figured I'd try this cake with pears on the bottom, in a 9x13 pan. It was magical! Seriously, this is one of my favorite cakes ever. It has so many of my favorite elements, cinnamon, oatmeal, coconut, pecans, caramelized goodness, and now pears. Make this cake! Your everything will thank you!

Oatmeal Cake with Pears (slightly adapted from my sis-in-law's recipe)

1/2 c. butter

1 1/4 c. oatmeal

1 c. boiling water

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 c. flour

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

4 Pears, peeled and sliced thin 

Butter a 9X13 cake pan. Line bottom of the pan with prepared pears; set aside. In a bowl melt butter and combine with oatmeal, add boiling water, let sit for 20 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour batter over pears and bake at 350° for 30 minutes, or until golden and cake springs back at your touch.

Topping

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

1 c. coconut

1/3 c. butter

1 cup pecans (chopped well)

Heat the butter, sugar, and heavy cream until the mixture begins to bubble on the sides, making sure that the butter is completely melted (do not bring to a boil). Fold in pecans and coconut and pour over hot cake. Place under the broiler (lo broiler) for 1-3 minutes and watch carefully so that the coconut doesn’t burn. The topping should bubble and become somewhat caramelized. Put this in your face as soon as humanly possible.

pineapple upside down cake

there are some people who are like "i don't like warm fruit" and that totally harshes on my gig (remember that line, amy?) because think about it, peach cobbler, apple crisp, blueberry buckle, pineapple upside down cake... that's some good stuff right there. pineapple upside down cake is always a great summer cake. or winter, or any season really. i was trying to think of something to make for my family that would be pretty easy and of course, delicious. so, hello warm fruit. i actually doubled this because i was making this for my family, and it adjusted perfectly.

1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted
6 canned pineapple slices, drained
2 eggs, separated
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. pineapple juice

(for high altitude: add 3 T. flour and bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes)

heat oven to 350° F. in a small bowl, combine brown sugar and margarine; blend well. spread in bottom of ungreased 9-inch round cake pan. (again, i doubled this, and adjusted for altitude so i did this in a 9x13 and cooked it at 375°). arrange pineapple slices over brown sugar mixture. set aside.

in a small bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. gradually add sugar; beat well. add flour, baking powder, salt and pineapple juice; mix well.

in another small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. fold into batter. pour batter evenly over pinapple slices.

bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. cool upright in pan 2 minutes. invert cake onto serving plate. serve warm.

(recipe from the pillsbury complete cookbook)

carrot cake

as i've mentioned before, i'm not huge into cake (don't get me wrong, i'll eat it—but i prefer other desserts over cake most of the time). however, if i could, i would probably marry carrot cake and live happily ever after. i don't know what it is (probably the cream cheese frosting) but i really love it. maybe it's because it's more dense than most other cakes, and not too sweet. whatever the reason is, i truly truly love it. and this is my favorite recipe for it. the original calls for 1 1/2 cups oil and i just can't bear to do that, so i cut it down by 1/2 a cup. i'm not a fan of applesauce as a substitute because i feel like it ruins the texture. so i just cut back oil and make sure there are plenty of carrots up in there. i love the ratio of the frosting to cake in this recipe too.

carrot cake

2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 c. vegetable oil
1 c. white flour
1 c. wheat flour
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking soda (half this in high altitude)
3 t. cinnamon
3 c. grated carrots
cream cheese frosting

cream together sugar, eggs and oil. in a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. combine two mixtures. stir in carrots. pour into greased 9x13 pan. bake at 350° for about 30 minutes. let cool, frost with cream cheese frosting.

cream cheese frosting

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. butter, about halfway melted
1 t. vanilla
2 c. (16 oz.) powdered sugar

cream the softened cream cheese. blend with butter. add powdered sugar and vanilla. beat well. spread over room temp. cake.

blackberry lemon pudding cake

i found this a few years ago in cooking light, and it's been one of my favorites. so when i saw some delicious blackberries for sale at costco, i had to make it. it takes a while for the cake to settle, so give it about 45 minutes to cool.

1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. sugar
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. nutmeg
1 c. buttermilk
1 t. grated lemon rind
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 T. butter
2 large egg yolks
3 large egg whites
1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. blackberries

preheat oven to 350°.

lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. combine flour, 2/3 c. granulated sugar, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl; add buttermilk, rind, juice, butter, and egg yolks, stirring with a whisk until smooth.

beat egg whites at high speed of a mixer until foamy. add 1/4 c. granulated sugar, 1 T. at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. gently stir one-fourth of egg white mixture into buttermilk mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. fold in blackberries.

pour batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. place in a larger baking pan; add hot water to larger pan to depth of 1 inch. bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly in center.

banana peanut butter chocolate chip cake

yes, you read that title right. why haven't i thought of this or seen it before? what could be better? those three flavors in combination just feels RIGHT. you know what i mean? i saw a recipe for it here via foodgawker. i didn't have peanut butter chips or cinnamon chips, so i'll write up the recipe the way i made it and you can look at the original here.

4 very ripe bananas
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 cups chocolate chips

for topping:
3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
approx. 1 Tbsp. brown sugar

preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. grease an 8-inch square pan. in a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas well with a fork or potato masher. add the eggs, and stir well to combine. add the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and vanilla, and stir to mix. add the peanut butter and when that is combined, add the chocolate chips. pour the batter into the prepared pan, and set aside. in a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and granulated sugar. sprinkle the mixture evenly over the batter in the pan, then sprinkle brown sugar over the top. bake for 35-40 minutes (it took me longer so just be aware it might take more time), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.

hot fudge sundae cake

whenever i don't have a lot of time and need a clutch recipe, this is one of the ones i almost always pick. it's insanely easy and i mean, it's cakey and puddingy (i know but how else do you say it? pudding-like? boring) and melty and it goes with ice cream. oh and did i mention chocolaty? i didn't, but i should have. CHOCOLATY. that should do it. i've tried so many molten chocolate recipes that just... sort of... fall flat. it's just not right for molten and chocolate to not work together. but this recipe kind of owns in that area. do yourself a favor and make this—your mouth, belly, family, friends, etc. will thank you.

1 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 T. cocoa
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. milk
2 t. vegetable oil (i actually accidentally omitted this last time i made it and it was just fine without)
1 t. vanilla
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. cocoa
1 3/4 c. very hot water

heat oven to 350ºF. mix flour, sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, the baking powder and salt in ungreased square 9x9 pan. mix in milk, oil and vanilla with fork until smooth. spread in pan. mix brown sugar and 1/4 c. cocoa together then sprinkle over batter. Pour hot water over batter. bake 40 minutes.

banana poundcake

i have made this twice now and learned a bit from the first time. the recipe says it's for one loaf of bread, but it went crazy and overflowed and took forever to bake and never really baked all the way through when i made it that way. so the second time around i spread it between two and it worked so much better. also, i added lemon in the recipe and made a lemon glaze that i poured over the top. this is now one of my new favorite ways to eat banana bread. very moist, and dense in a good way.

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temp.
1 1/2 medium-size very ripe bananas, mashed not too smooth with a fork (3/4 c.) **i used 2 bananas
1 t. vanilla extract
1 1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2 1/2 cups cake flour, or 2 cups plus 3 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. milk
1 T. freshly grated orange peel **i didn't use this, i used lemon juice, and also made a lemon glaze with powdered sugar and lemon juice

heat oven to 350°. lightly grease and flour a 9x5" loaf pan. **do two. beat butter in mixer for about 30 seconds, or until smooth. with mixer on low speed, gradually add the sugar. increase the mixer speed to high and beat until pale and fluffy. with the mixer still on high speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. continue beating, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until the mixture is smooth and very pale and has increased in volume. beat in bananas, vanilla, baking powder, and salt. (the mixture will look curdled.) on low speed, alternately beat in the flour and milk, beating well after each addition. stir in the orange peel **or lemon juice. scrape batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. bake until the cake pulls away slightly from sides of the pan and a toothpick or fork comes out clean, 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 25 minutes. (if the cake starts to brown too much after 1 hour of baking, cover it loosely with foil.) cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes. carefully run a thin-bladed knife around the edges of teh cake to loosen. turn the cake out onto the rack, invert, and cool completely. **when i took them out, i immediately inverted the loaves and poked them with a fork all over and poured over the lemon glaze while hot.

the cake can be well wrapped and kept at cool room temp. or in the refrigerator up to 1 week or frozen up to 3 months.

caramel cake

i wanted to make a caramel cake after i saw it after one of my food blogs i follow. i found this recipe in a book one of my sisters gave me for christmas last year. i love the idea of making anything summer and anything with caramel, so it seemed like the perfect choice! my parents were in town and i made it for a family dinner at my sister's and my dad isn't a big fan of cake. we are definitely a pie family but especially him. so when i was like "i know it's cake, but what do you think?" he said, "it's good for cake!" i think that's probably the highest compliment a cake could receive from my father.

the frosting was really tricky and maybe i didn't do it right or something but i had to mess with it. and since it's more of a brown sugar frosting than a caramel sauce it retains some graininess from the brown sugar. the cake part is very moist (ew - that word is so gross but what else do you use when you are talking about baked goods??) because it's not very healthy. this is supposed to be an old southern recipe so what do you really expect? but oh my is it good.

caramel cake:

cake:
2 1/1 c. all purpose flour
2 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1 T. baking powder
1/8 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 c. unsalted butter, cut into chunks
3 large eggs
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 t. butter extract, optional
1 1/3 c. warm buttermilk

brown sugar frosting:
1 c. unsalted butter
2 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
2 t. corn syrup
pinch of salt
1 t. vanilla extract

preheat oven to 350°. Generously spray two 9" round cakepans with cooking spray and place pans on a large, parchment paper-lined baking sheet. (i just used a 9x13 since i was traveling with a warm cake out of the oven to my sisters. that, and it's just easier.)

in a mixer bowl, place flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and blend ingredients. add butter and blend to break up butter into dry ingredients to get a grainy mixture. blend in eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, butter extract, and buttermilk to make a batter, scraping sides and bottom of bowl occasionally to ensure batter is evenly blended.

spoon batter into prepared pan(s). bake until cake springs back when gently pressed with fingertips, 30-35 minutes. (i had to bake longer cause of my pan choice.) cool in pan(s) 15 minutesbefore unmolding onto a wired rack to cool.

for brown sugar frosting, place butter, brown sugar, baking soda, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla in a 3-quart saucepan. cook over low heat until mixture thickens and reaches a soft ball stage (234°). if you don't have a thermometer, cook mixture 20 to 30 minutes until a bit of mixture seems to hold together like soft taffy when dropped on a clold plate. you can increase heat to make it cook faster, but slow and steady makes for better results.

remove frosting from heat and let it cool and thicken. you cand whip half the frosting with a mixer on medium speed 2 minutes and then on high 1 minute to lighten. use this to frost cake together; it will spread like frosting. pour remaining slightly warm frosting over top layer of cake and let it drip down. this cake freezes well. **(so, after i made the frosting, i had to transport it immediately into tupperware and take it with me. when i got to the house, it was sorta hard and weird looking. after dinner i had my mom help me and we decided to whip it and add a bit of milk, then warms it up again. then it cooled off a touch and we inverted the cake and poured it all over the top. it stood up pretty well and everyone seemed to like it. so i wonder what was supposed to happen vs. what did. if anyone tries this with different results, please let me know what you did!

cake in a jar

ok, so i saw this post here, and have been wanting to try this for a while now. and i wanted to send my friend cindy some cake she likes for her birthday (the poppyseed cake - the poppyseed + extra glaze) and my friend jessica came over to bake, and we came up with this version of cake in a jar.

these are my notes. i would make them in smaller jars cause it's easier to get out. and these might be better for an "in-person" gift because i ended up having to cut off the top which is the cutest part and these suckers are sorta expensive to mail. and you can give the person a few, rather than just mailing one big heavy one. it's a cute idea, but i don't know if i'd do it again. but you never know, i could get inspired and try it again. just how i haven't mastered éclairs yet but i swear i will one day...

birthday bundt cake

my old roommate, julia and i used to always make this recipe for birthdays. i haven't made it in a while and i decided to make it for a friend's birthday–but a little bit more fancy. i even added a sort of frosting to drizzle on top.

1 cup fat-free sour cream
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. warm water
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 eggs, one at a time
1 (18.25-oz.) package devil's food cake mix (we normally would use a yellow cake mix for a less rich cake)
1 (3.9-oz.) package chocolate instant pudding mix
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (i'm pretty sure what i put in was more than that)

Coat a 12-cup bundt pan with cooking spray and dust with flour; set aside. Combine the sour cream and next six ingredients (sour cream through chocolate pudding mix) in a large bowl, and beat mixture at medium speed of a mixer for three minutes. Add the chocolate chips and beat the mixture for 30 seconds. Spoon the cake batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake cake at 350º for an hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Invert cake onto a wire rack and cool completely.

then i made up a frosting that sorta went like this:

2 T. melted butter
1 (8 oz.) pkg. low fat cream cheese
powdered sugar to taste (maybe 1/2 c.?)

et voila! birthday bundt cake–fancified.

j + c

i haven't posted this week because it's been wedding/family week 2007. my brother, justin, and my delightful friend, caroline may got married on 07.07.07 and it's been a whirlwind week. i thought i'd post pictures of the insanely good cake natasha made for the bride and groom. it was chocolate with blueberries in the middle. so incredible. everyone was loving it.